The Writer's Assistant (ManxMan)

Chapter 4: A Monstrous Call

A/N: What's the last emoji you used?
Mine is 🧡

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I must have fallen asleep. I woke up when I heard the car door open. Oliver slid behind the wheel. My eyes widened when he handed me my phone. 

“You found it?!” I gasped with a smile. “Where did you find it?”

“On the floor,” he said, starting the car. 

“Thank you! You must have gone through a lot of trouble."

“Not really. I stepped on it by accident,” he said. "Where do you live?" 

I told him my address and he started driving. Silent instantly filled the car, and I pressed my hands between my thighs, trying to find something to say.

“Sorry, I’m supposed to be the one taking care of you,” I mumbled sheepishly. “I promise I’ll do better on Monday.”

"I had to get out of my house at some point. It's been a while since I've seen humans."

I smiled. Other humans? What was he, an alien?

"You don't like going out very often, do you?" I asked, slightly amused.

"Only when I have to," he replied. 

"What do you do at home?"

"I write."

"Don't you ever get bored?" 

"Not if I have WIFI and my laptop." 

Oliver Carlson really was something, wasn't he?  

“You’re not much of a people’s person, are you?” 

He raised a shoulder.

“People aren’t worth the effort.”

Oliver glanced at me. 

"Most people, anyway."

I stiffened and quickly looked straight ahead. Why did I just get nervous?

"I like your car," I quickly said, touching the armrest. It surprised me that he drove such an old car. Considering the salary Camillia offered in the contract, I was certain Oliver earned more than he showed. He was someone who could easily afford a nicer car, probably even multiple. Why did he stick with this old thing?

"I've had it since college," he said with some pride. So the only thing that could get him excited was his Twingo? "By the way, how did you know my number?"

"I memorized it."

"You what?"

"It's part of my job as your personal assistant to know basic information about you," I chuckled sheepishly. "Again, sorry for the trouble. I wouldn't have called if I wasn't desperate."

"What's in your phone that's so important?" He asked. I opened my mouth but he cut me off, "Aside from your cat pics."

As if on cue, my phone rang. I looked down, my eyes widened in shock. I had an incoming call from A, aka, Aaron. 

Why was he calling me? And now out of all times? I couldn't have…

I quickly went through my messages and held back a horrified gasp. I had drunk texted Aaron. 

Me: Aaron, I asjsj; f kkkk

Obviously, I was too drunk to write properly. 

“Aren’t you going to answer?” Oliver snapped me out of my thoughts.

“No."

Aaron hung up, but then he called again. He probably knew something was wrong. He also knew I had the tendency to drunk text him. If I didn't answer him, he might worry. I looked at Oliver. 

"Please don't say anything." I quickly said before answering the call.

“Daniel?” 

My heart froze when Aaron's deep voice came through the phone. 

“Hey,” I stammered, then quickly cleared my voice. “How are you?”

“Good, good,” he answered absently, which made me wonder if he was really doing okay. “I got your text. Are you out drinking?”

“Yeah, but I’m going home now,” I quickly said. "But I'm not drunk."

Oliver snorted and I shot him a look. Fortunately, Aaron couldn't hear him.

“I heard you signed a new contract. Congratulations," Aaron said. 

“Yeah, thanks,” I said. Was he making small talk? We haven't had a normal conversation since we broke up. “Did you find a new assistant?”

“I’m still looking. There aren’t many good ones out there,” he said.

“I’m sure you’ll find someone.”

“Hmm, maybe I'm not trying hard enough."

I could have sworn there was a slight tone of amusement in his voice. 

“Are you almost home?” he asked. 

Was that why he wasn't hanging up? To make sure I made it home safely? 

"I'm–"

“ACHOO!”

I jumped in my seat when Oliver sneezed. No, a sneeze was an understatement. It was some kind of monsterish call that made the entire car shake. He rubbed the tip of his nose. 

“Bless me,” he said.

“Are you with someone?” Aaron asked, the tone of his voice suddenly turning cold. I sunk into my seat, trying to find an excuse. I wanted to tell him I was with Jack, but Aaron knew Jack, and he knew there was no way that tiny guy could make such a noise. 

“I… Um… Yeah, I’m with a… Colleague.”

Silence.

This was bad. This was really, really bad. Wait, why should I be worried? It wasn’t like I was cheating on him. Besides, Oliver was my boss. 

I glanced at Oliver's quirky T-shirt but when I tried to look away, my eyes landed on his sandals. Lord help me.

“Alright.” Aaron finally said. “Get home safe, Daniel.”

“Wait–”

He hung up before I could utter another word.

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